I wasn't supposed to be at this game. At 2.30pm when I arrived at the Mick Loader Recreation Ground I should have been somewhere over the Atlantic but thanks to an Icelandic volcano our flight had been cancelled. Having scouted the fixtures I decided that I'd take a visit down the A354 to one of the nearest grounds that I hadn't visited before.
This was my first Dorset Premier League match although I had seen visitors Portland United in a competitive fixture at their home ground, a Wessex League game a few years ago against Winchester City.
The ground was a basic set up, 3 sides were railed off with the far goalmouth inaccessible with a field behind it. The teams wandered out to the pitch from the social club and the majority of the spectators followed. Some watched the game from the road behind the dugouts, perhaps to save themselves the £2 admission fee that was collected during the game.
The control and skill of the players was a lower standard than I'm used to watching, though perhaps to be expected as this is a Step 7 league. Portland dominated possession and it was rare that Cranborne got the ball out of their half. They managed to do so in the 18th minute with a rare long ball out of their half. One of their strikers flicked a header on to a team mate who ran through unopposed. His shot was parried out but the striker who headed the ball on had followed up and the ball fell kindly to him. He had an open goal to aim for and made no mistake to give the home team the lead.
Portland seemed a little stunned by this and continued to attack but their composure and final ball was lacking at times. When they did create chances, the ball was either blocked by a defender or it was hit wide or over the bar. It wasn't until the 35th minute that we got to see a clinical finish for the equaliser. One of the Portland players dribbled past his marker on the right edge of the area and put a low shot past the keeper.
Portland created several more chances but the Cranborne keeper made some good saves and when he was beaten, a team mate cleared the ball from the line. Just before halftime Portland looked to be about to take the lead. After some close passing in the area, a Portland player lined up a shot but incredibly hit it wide from 8 yards out when a straight shot would have beaten the keeper. Cranborne were defending very deep and weren't helping themselves by playing goalkicks short so the ball only came out to the backline who were barely out of the penalty area.
At halftime I wandered back to the car and took shelter from the sun while listening to the scores on the radio. I couldn't get a signal on my phone so it was good to be able to go back to old fashioned technology to get the updates.
The second half started in a similar fashion to the end of the first half. Portland were dominating play and it was no surprise when they finally took the lead in the 57th minute. The ball was played along the edge of the area and then chipped over the keeper and into the net. A minute later and they almost extended their lead with a shot that the Cranborne keeper did well to tip onto the crossbar.
Portland's third goal came in the 73rd minute. The ball was crossed into the far corner of the area, headed back into the centre which allowed a sub to flick the ball over the keeper and into the net with his first touch of the ball.
It looked to be game over but Cranborne had other ideas and got themselves back into the game in the 78th minute. One of the players received the ball on the left wing, ran down the left before cutting in towards the centre and hitting a superb shot across the keeper and into the right side of the net. This gave the home team some confidence and they broke away again in the 83rd minute. The player only had the keeper to beat but saw his shot sail past the keeper and then just past the right hand post.
Portland had a close escape so made sure of the 3 points a couple of minutes later. Following a good series of pass, run and move plays, the ball was passed across the area and lashed into the top corner. Cranborne were instantly deflated and their comeback was over. Both teams played out the remainder of the game without creating a clear cut chance and Portland earnt a deserved win.
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